I am getting a Digitrax Zepher. What is a good DCC Diesel Loco with all the bells and whistles that wont break the bank
Bachmann seels GP30s GP35s and GP40s that have a DCC Decoder in Stalled that can be had for around $40.00
Trainworld has them on sale for $29.99
James
The Bachmann engines are a very good choice. If you want better detailing, than you could probably get an Atlas Master diesel with DCC from eBay for under $100.
The bachmanns have cheap decoders, so they are noisy and dont run the greatest. If that doesnt bother you then they are fine. But any loco can be a DCC loco, you just have to put a decoder in it. If you want sound, Broadway Limited is the way to go. But they do “break the bank” a little at around $240 for a diesel with sound.
Best way to go overall is to buy any engine that you like, and put a decoder in it. Most of the engines now come with plugs so you can just plug a decoder in with no soldering.
Look for the blowouts at http://www.trainworld.com or http://www.modeltrainstuff.com and find one you like. I’ve got 2 P2K GP-9’s for $40.00 each that way. They were DCC-ready, so all it took was a plug-in decoder like the TCS T1P. These aren’t sound decoders, but you could get one of those and install it yourself, too.